Why is it so difficult to hire someone in Gainesville?

Many jobs are going unfilled despite 12,000 actively seeking work.

Craig Fitzgerald, left, systems architect for Info Tech, reviews a project with Senior Vice President Thomas Rothrock in 2009. Info Tech, which is not part of the Back to Work program, is having trouble filling 13 positions.

Published: Saturday, July 31, 2010 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, July 30, 2010 at 11:34 p.m.

Employees have deemed Info Tech one of the best companies to work for in Florida, yet the company has had trouble filling a dozen high-tech openings at the same time many businesses are laying off people.

The stimulus-funded Florida Back to Work program still has more than 400 positions in Alachua and Bradford counties that have gone unfilled despite nearly 12,000 people actively looking for work.

In spite of rising unemployment, many job openings are taking a long time to fill because job seekers don't have the required skills or experience, or can't pass background checks.

In the case of Florida Back to Work, a smaller pool of 1,100 applicants that meet income and other eligibility requirements makes finding a match more difficult. Many employers also are giving up on hiring since the program ends on Sept. 30.

Many of the jobs that have gone unfilled are in Web development and e-commerce, said Angela Pate, executive director of the FloridaWorks work force agency, which is administering the program.

"It's amazing to me that we just can't find people with these skills in our community," she said. "I guess they're all moving on because usually there's not enough jobs for them here. Now that we have openings, they're just not here."

Vouchers for free Microsoft training can help fill some of the gap in skills, she said.

FloridaWorks has more than 100 vouchers available through Microsoft's Elevate America program and another 200 coming.

Info Tech - which is not in the Back to Work program - is having trouble filling 13 technical positions for its road construction management software and services business.

Human Resources Director Jeanneen Cannon said many students at the University of Florida Career Expo are eager to get their education and leave, but she said at the most recent event more seemed willing to stay than in the past.

"People think Gainesville doesn't offer as much opportunity," she said.

The company has had some luck filling entry-level positions with college graduates but has to cast a wider net with ads on national websites and in major cities in Florida and Atlanta to fill more senior positions. Those positions can require as much as seven to 10 years of experience in road construction and the company's software.

For its latest effort, Info Tech has produced a video that first touts the benefits of living in Gainesville and then highlights the company. The company is hoping to lure back people who might have graduated from UF several years ago and didn't think Gainesville had opportunities, or in some cases to introduce people to Gainesville, said Valerie Riley, marketing manager.

In the Back to Work program, employers that started hiring earlier had better luck filling the more skilled positions, said Amber Buchanan, customer relations manager for TempForce.

TempForce is the official employer of Back to Work employees doing work for other employers and is handling background checks.

Prioria, a small startup company that makes unmanned aerial vehicles, was able to fill nine positions through the program, including an unmanned aerial vehicle operator with military experience, a senior software developer, a production manager with experience in the carbon fiber industry, an aerospace engineer and an information technologist, along with some office staff.

The program - which pays 95 percent of employee salaries up to $40,000 - allowed the small company to grow from 16 to 25 workers at a time it could not otherwise afford so much new help, said Kristin Kozelsky, office manager. When the program expires, the company plans to keep the new hires on board and add them to the payroll.

A couple of the new hires were people the company had been in talks with before the program came along, Kozelsky said. The company - founded by UF graduates - also has had success finding talent out of UF from the aerospace and electrical engineering programs.

Alachua County government posted 98 jobs in the program but has filled about 30.

Those range from unskilled to highly skilled, said Kim Baldry, human resources manager.

A lot of highly skilled candidates who had been recently laid off did not yet meet income guidelines, she said.

The hires have been particularly helpful with maintenance and repair projects, County Manager Randall Reid said. But the short time frame means many higher-level positions are going unfilled as training alone would fill the remaining time.

"We were hoping to get on by February, but the allocation of funding was slow to come through," Reid said.

Other employers have had similar reactions and are reluctant to hire even when FloridaWorks finds a match, Pate said. Still, FloridaWorks is encouraging employers to take on the workers and encouraging more eligible job seekers to apply. "You're going to change people's lives for two months," she said.

Pate also is encouraging people to lobby their legislators to renew funding for the program. Emergency funding was negotiated out of the unemployment benefits extension bill.

"These are programs creating jobs with money that typically went for welfare payments instead of going for job creation," Pate said.

<p>Employees have deemed Info Tech one of the best companies to work for in Florida, yet the company has had trouble filling a dozen high-tech openings at the same time many businesses are laying off people.</p><p>The stimulus-funded Florida Back to Work program still has more than 400 positions in Alachua and Bradford counties that have gone unfilled despite nearly 12,000 people actively looking for work.</p><p>In spite of rising unemployment, many job openings are taking a long time to fill because job seekers don't have the required skills or experience, or can't pass background checks.</p><p>In the case of Florida Back to Work, a smaller pool of 1,100 applicants that meet income and other eligibility requirements makes finding a match more difficult. Many employers also are giving up on hiring since the program ends on Sept. 30.</p><p>Many of the jobs that have gone unfilled are in Web development and e-commerce, said Angela Pate, executive director of the FloridaWorks work force agency, which is administering the program.</p><p>"It's amazing to me that we just can't find people with these skills in our community," she said. "I guess they're all moving on because usually there's not enough jobs for them here. Now that we have openings, they're just not here."</p><p>Vouchers for free Microsoft training can help fill some of the gap in skills, she said.</p><p>FloridaWorks has more than 100 vouchers available through Microsoft's Elevate America program and another 200 coming.</p><p>Info Tech - which is not in the Back to Work program - is having trouble filling 13 technical positions for its road construction management software and services business.</p><p>Human Resources Director Jeanneen Cannon said many students at the University of Florida Career Expo are eager to get their education and leave, but she said at the most recent event more seemed willing to stay than in the past.</p><p>"People think Gainesville doesn't offer as much opportunity," she said.</p><p>The company has had some luck filling entry-level positions with college graduates but has to cast a wider net with ads on national websites and in major cities in Florida and Atlanta to fill more senior positions. Those positions can require as much as seven to 10 years of experience in road construction and the company's software.</p><p>For its latest effort, Info Tech has produced a video that first touts the benefits of living in Gainesville and then highlights the company. The company is hoping to lure back people who might have graduated from UF several years ago and didn't think Gainesville had opportunities, or in some cases to introduce people to Gainesville, said Valerie Riley, marketing manager.</p><p>In the Back to Work program, employers that started hiring earlier had better luck filling the more skilled positions, said Amber Buchanan, customer relations manager for TempForce.</p><p>TempForce is the official employer of Back to Work employees doing work for other employers and is handling background checks.</p><p>Prioria, a small startup company that makes unmanned aerial vehicles, was able to fill nine positions through the program, including an unmanned aerial vehicle operator with military experience, a senior software developer, a production manager with experience in the carbon fiber industry, an aerospace engineer and an information technologist, along with some office staff.</p><p>The program - which pays 95 percent of employee salaries up to $40,000 - allowed the small company to grow from 16 to 25 workers at a time it could not otherwise afford so much new help, said Kristin Kozelsky, office manager. When the program expires, the company plans to keep the new hires on board and add them to the payroll.</p><p>A couple of the new hires were people the company had been in talks with before the program came along, Kozelsky said. The company - founded by UF graduates - also has had success finding talent out of UF from the aerospace and electrical engineering programs.</p><p>Alachua County government posted 98 jobs in the program but has filled about 30.</p><p>Those range from unskilled to highly skilled, said Kim Baldry, human resources manager.</p><p>A lot of highly skilled candidates who had been recently laid off did not yet meet income guidelines, she said.</p><p>The hires have been particularly helpful with maintenance and repair projects, County Manager Randall Reid said. But the short time frame means many higher-level positions are going unfilled as training alone would fill the remaining time.</p><p>"We were hoping to get on by February, but the allocation of funding was slow to come through," Reid said.</p><p>Other employers have had similar reactions and are reluctant to hire even when FloridaWorks finds a match, Pate said. Still, FloridaWorks is encouraging employers to take on the workers and encouraging more eligible job seekers to apply. "You're going to change people's lives for two months," she said.</p><p>Pate also is encouraging people to lobby their legislators to renew funding for the program. Emergency funding was negotiated out of the unemployment benefits extension bill.</p><p>"These are programs creating jobs with money that typically went for welfare payments instead of going for job creation," Pate said.</p>